


girls like you

by adreamaloud, daneorange (adreamaloud)



Category: Lost Girl
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-21
Updated: 2013-03-21
Packaged: 2017-12-05 23:29:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/729123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adreamaloud/pseuds/adreamaloud, https://archiveofourown.org/users/adreamaloud/pseuds/daneorange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lost girl cop au. bo/tamsin, because we know who should have also been in uniform in 3.09. no spoilers as this is ridiculous anyway</p>
            </blockquote>





	girls like you

**Author's Note:**

> Ill-advised but irresistible. All errors are mine.

The day Bo met Tamsin, she was turning in her badge.

Bo was at the precinct for what could be the last time. She'd just received notice of her suspension and subsequent re-assignment -- subject, of course, to the chief's discretion. The reassignment, not the suspension -- as far as Bo knew, the suspension was as final as it could get.

Times like these, not even this unit's finest can afford an off day or two.

*

The blonde girl idly rifling through files at Dyson's table introduced herself as Tamsin. The first thing in Bo's head was, _Is that even a real name?_ "I believe this is Dyson's table. And those are confidential files."

Tamsin didn't even look up. "These are my files now. I'm Dyson's new _partner_." The last word nicked Bo like a sharp knife. "You must be--"

"Bo," she said, reminding herself not to extend her hand. Why would she? The last time she checked, she wasn't this unit's welcome committee. "Where's Dyson?"

"That's classified information."

"What?"

Tamsin shrugged. _Is that a smile hanging off the edge of her lips?_ Bo balled her hand into a fist and tried to breathe. "I believe an officer's movement is none of a civilian's concerns."

 _Who is this girl?_ "Excuse me?"

Tamsin looked up at that, finally. Bo saw that her eyes were blue -- cold and clear. "If you're not a civilian, then where's your badge?"

Bo felt for it by her belt out of habit -- now an empty space where there used to be one. _Fuck this shit._ "Okay then, _officer,_ " she breathed, stepping back. "I'll be out of your way."

"Good girl," said Tamsin, stepping closer in kind. Bo detected a hint of cigarettes and mint. "Now if you'll excuse me -- I have a case to _fix_."

Bo turned away from her, smirking to herself. _Good luck with that._

*

Bo kept replaying that night in her head -- that had been the beginning of the end. Looking back, it was as good as over from the moment she stepped into the warehouse.

"You blew our cover," Trick said gravely at the debriefing.

Bo winced as the doctor attended to her wounds. The one that sat by the edge of her eyebrow, where she sustained a blow from an unseen gun barrel, was huge enough to need stitches. "For the nth time tonight, Trick, I said--"

"It's not enough that you're sorry, Bo." Trick shifted his eyes over at Dyson and his heavily bandaged shoulder. In the many times they've both been caught in heavy crossfire, that was the first time he'd actually been hit. "Not only are we now exposed, we have also lost them. We're back to square one."

"We _built_ this case from square one," Bo said. "We can do it again, we'll just have to--Jesus, doc, that's _painful_." Lauren Lewis, the station doctor, only looked at her with half an apology. "How long before I'm fully back?"

"Depends," Lauren said, dabbing at Bo's wound a final time. Bo only hissed at the extra pressure. "You've always been a fast healer."

Bo tried to return her uneasy smile. "A week tops, Trick. We'll get them back. We'll--"

"Not _we_ , Bo," Trick interrupted. Even Dyson was surprised. "You're sitting this one out from hereon."

"What? No, Trick, please--"

"Six months Bo, then we'll see."

At which point all the pain seemed to concentrate on a growing spot in her midsection and fade elsewhere. "No. You can't--"

Bo would never forget how Trick looked at her that one last time -- that mix of sadness and disappointment. "I just did," was all he said, and that was that.

*

Bo ran into Lauren on the way out of the precinct. "Hey doc," she greeted, touching her bandaged eyebrow gingerly out of habit.

"How's your head?" Lauren asked. When she smiled it was always this awkward thing. Bo had always been fond of her.

"Been better, but as you said…"

"Fast healer, yeah." Lauren shifted her eyes, uneasy now. She was fidgeting with the edge of her clipboard, and Bo was almost sorry for making her stay around to chat.

"Have you heard?" she asked instead, and that time Lauren only afforded her a brief glance.

"Yeah, I--I'm sorry, Bo, but don't you think it's for the best? I know those stitches may be the only things visible when you're fully clothed, but I've seen your bruises elsewhere, and I think--"

"Hey," said Bo, touching Lauren's arm lightly. "I'll heal just fine. Okay? Thanks for stitching me up and everything, but that case was…"

"I know." Lauren touched her back, and the gesture was almost too soft to be not considered affectionate. They've always been in this sort of in-between. "But when they brought you to me, when they briefed me about your encounter -- all I could think about was how lucky you were to not have _died_."

"What can I say, Dr Lewis," Bo just shrugged. "I'm not exactly a big fan of dying."

"Me neither," Lauren smiled. "Get some rest. Go on a big vacation, or something. You deserve it."

"You make it sound like I was rewarded and not suspended."

"It's all about perspective," Lauren just said. "Makes all the difference in the world." And with that, Lauren excused herself, gathering her papers to her chest and making her way into the station. Bo followed her with her gaze, waiting until Lauren disappeared into Trick's office.

 _How about that,_ she thought, allowing her eyes to linger.

*

A vacation. _Yeah right,_ Bo rolled her eyes. Her apartment needed tidying -- not that this came as a complete surprise to her. Truth be told, she barely lived here. Then again, she was glad to have something to do other than mope around.

Her phone sat on the counter quietly. She considered calling Lauren -- but for _what_? She touched her bandage again -- almost there, though she's sure it's going to hurt like a fucker when it's time to take it off, judging by how it had already caked upon some edges. _Why did I not see that blow coming?_ She shook her head. Doesn't matter now, Officer _Tamsin_ is all over that shit.

 _Tamsin._ Bo felt like hitting things, but then she could barely fit into a sports bra with all the horrible bruising near her ribs. She remembered how Lauren had been so afraid to touch them. How was it possible that none of her ribs had been broken, Lauren asked, barely skimming the spots with her fingertips. Bo remembered how Lauren hadn't even touched her and yet she felt so _warm_ , and--

Right then, her phone rang, and she nearly pushed it off the table in her surprise. "Hello?" She didn't have the time to look at the caller ID, so she was surprised to hear a woman's voice at the other end.

"Listen, I got your number snooping around Dyson's files."

Fucking _Tamsin._ Bo groaned. "Well, hello there officer. To whom do I owe this pleasure?"

"You can thank me for whatever pleasure later," Tamsin said. Her voice had an edge to it that Bo couldn't properly reconcile -- the snark was there, but it wasn't quite as palpable as she'd expected. "I believe you have a lot of time in your hands."

"Well, that happens a lot especially when you're _suspended._ "

"Look, it's not like I _asked_ for your suspension, I just got my ass hauled here, and on such short notice, even. But I think you'll be happy to hear this," Tamsin paused, waiting for Bo's retaliation.

"Go on," Bo said impatiently. "I have time, but I don't have _all_ the time in the world. Not for you, especially. I've got a trip planned to Bogota as we speak--"

"Dyson's been--well, higher ups would cover it up and say he's currently AWOL, but I've been around these circles long enough to call a spade a fucking spade so I'm pretty sure he's been abducted, and I'm kind of one partner _short_."

Well, _that_ sure got Bo listening. "He--what? I hand you over my partner for a _week,_ and already you've lost him?"

"Hey, I was not the one who blew the fucking cover off, was I?"

Bo clenched and unclenched her fist on the counter. "You're not exactly doing a good job of convincing me to help you here."

"Oh, I beg to differ," said Tamsin, and Bo can actually see her _grinning_ into her phone's mouthpiece. No image was more infuriating for Bo, really. "How long have you and Dyson been partners? Five, six years? I had you the moment I started my sentence with _Dyson's_ name."

"Fuck you, Tamsin."

"Not so fast hon," Tamsin shot back, and for the most part, Bo was still surprised she'd actually said that aloud. "Now that we have that out of the way -- are you in this or no?"

"You're ridiculous," said Bo, but then she's already digging into her drawers for her spare gun. A pity she'd surrendered her service firearm with the badge. She loved that gun. "What exactly am I signing up for?"

"Come out the door and find out." There's a snap on the other end and the line went dead. _That bitch was out on the street all along?_ Bo thought,  exasperated. When she was done strapping her gun to her waist Bo cautiously approached her door and peeked.

As if on cue, Tamsin's car rolled in closer, this blue matchbox thing from at least a decade ago. Bo sighed before approaching.

"This how you do things around here?" Bo said, leaning closer with a hand resting atop the car, talking through the open window like she were apprehending Tamsin for a speeding violation.

Tamsin only smirked, reaching over to open the passenger side door. "Get in, _loser_ ," she said. "We're going hunting."

*

Tamsin talked very little as she drove, as expected. For her part, Bo had nothing to say to her anyhow. But then, they'd been driving for half an hour and already, Bo was getting uneasy.

"How did you know Dyson was abducted?"

Tamsin sniffed, looking out her window. Bo could see how she was trying to look dismissive, but then something told her that Tamsin was somewhat genuinely concerned. "I spied a few notes in his files," she said. "I think he was really bent on getting  a little revenge. Maybe out to get whoever gave you those nasty stitches eh?"

Bo groaned. _You stupid man,_ she just thought. "He got that bullet for me, you know."

Tamsin threw her a sideways glance. "I highly doubt he could draw a gun as quickly with those bandaged shoulders. Would be a wonder if he could aim _at all._ "

 _Oh you fucking stupid man._ Bo cradled her face in her hands. "Jesus, how could he be so--"

"Stupid?" For the first time, she saw Tamsin wear some semblance of a smile. "Things get a little blurry when your partner gets shuffled out of your _routine_."

There was a sort of quiet in Tamsin's voice that was hard to miss. "You sound like you've been there," Bo just said.

Tamsin shrugged. "Let's just say I'm not about to lose another partner, eh? This routine is getting _old._ "

*

Another half hour later, Bo found Tamsin slowing to a stop in a dimly lit alley. Instinctively, Bo sought out her gun, stashed under her jacket.

"What are we looking at?" Bo asked as Tamsin turned down her lights and eventually killed her engine. At the end of the alley was a small sign with failing lights.

"The world's oldest profession, of course," Tamsin replied, trying to be cheery. "I know someone who knows someone."

Bo found it difficult not to be impressed; networks and sourcing were often the hardest parts. "All right," she said slowly. "I'm going to need a bit of instruction here, so as not to blow _anyone's_ cover, yes?"

Tamsin sighed. "Wow. I thought you'd never offer." And with that, she proceeded to reach for Bo's bandage.

Bo's instinct was to back away. "What the fuck?"

"We're not going in there with your ugly bandage."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm _injured._ "

"Oh come on, stop being a pussy." Bo was still readying her retort when Tamsin pulled it off her brow. It peeled off despite the stubbornness of the skin and dried blood, but Bo couldn't help but howl in her surprise. "Great, now they'll think I'm molesting you inside this car. Carry on."

"Fucking hell, you could have _at least_ counted to three," Bo said, still hissing and cursing under her breath. "Any other surprises you'd like to pull on me?"

Tamsin grinned. "Well, this won't be a surprise -- you'd have to take your jacket off."

"Now you're just _perving_ on me, officer."

"Don't flatter yourself," said Tamsin. "'Sides, got any better ideas on how we can enter this bar easily?"

Bo sighed in protest, but shrugged out of her jacket nevertheless. "I guess I have to find a better way to hide my gun."

When Tamsin eyed her that time, her pupils flickered with a sort of mischief that sent a shiver through Bo. _The fuck is this?_ "I'm sure you'll find a few good hiding places on you," she just said, quirking her eyebrow ever so slightly before getting out of the car. "Come on, we don't have all night."

*

It was weird, walking with a gun strapped so high on your thigh, but then again it was still an eons better idea than just walking in with it tucked to your waist.

"Thank God I didn't wear one of my shorter skirts," said Bo, approaching the door carefully.

"A pity that, actually," Tamsin replied. She seemed to have morphed into something Bo wasn't familiar with -- someone Bo was even starting to _like._ It was unnerving. "But for now, let's just say I'm also thankful you're wearing jeans."

The door was guarded by a moustached man -- not as bulky as a bouncer, but he towered just the same. He seemed to know Tamsin as someone else, judging by how he greeted her at the door. "Long time, Tanya," he said, smiling as he spoke. "New girlfriend?" The once-over made Bo uneasy, but she said nothing.

Tamsin smiled sweetly at him. "I'm good Mickey, and yes," she turned to Bo, winking as she put a hand upon the small of Bo's back. "Fairly _new_."

"You sure know how to pick 'em," he said, extending a hand as if to search Bo.

"That won't be necessary." The way she gripped at Mickey's wrist told Bo volumes. _What is this place?_ "Whatever she's packing, she's packing for _me._ "

The next thing Bo knew, Tamsin was dragging her past the door, hand in hand.

"What was _that_?" Bo looked around and saw an almost empty tavern. "What is _this_?"

"Too many questions," Tamsin just said. "Come on. This way."

"You're unbelievably bossy," said Bo. Tamsin's hand was growing warm around hers. Around them, the music vibrates off the walls, wrapping around her like a coat.

"Like you don't like it," Tamsin grinned. "You've got soft hands for a girl so tough."

Bo tried to keep her own grin in, but eventually found that she couldn't. Apparently, in the midst of potential danger, Tamsin grows a bit more _likeable._ Bo breathed in deep. _Just roll with it, Bo. Find Dyson and get this over with._ "We can exchange moisturizer tips later."

"Didn't peg you for someone so hopeful," Tamsin said, eyeing her sideways. "I kind of like it."

They were walking into one of the narrower corridors, lined with black walls and nothing but a solitary light source at the end of it. The music seemed to taper off at this area, and soon, she could nearly hear Tamsin breathing audibly.

"Who are we looking for?"

"The owner of this place," Tamsin said. She pointed to the door at the end of the corridor. "We go a long way back."

"You sure are one shady bitch, you know that?"

"Like you don't like that about me as well."

When they reach the door, Tamsin put her ear against the door like she were listening for something. She held Bo by the arm, as if she were telling her not to move. "She's here," she sighed. "She doesn't really like me, but she's a good gatekeeper of _things_."

"Thanks for the warning."

"She answers to Morrigan. Curly hair, arrestingly pretty -- though she's got nothing on your boobs."

Bo shoved Tamsin hard, but not enough to make too much noise. "Can't we at least keep my boobs out of this?"

Tamsin shrugged. "Afraid not. Why'd you think I made you take off _your jacket_? Certainly not for Mickey on the front door, nope."

"I am suddenly not liking how this is going, officer."

"Relax," Tamsin said, smiling in the dark. She tried rubbing Bo's forearm in a way she must have expected to be comforting. It wasn't. "She likes the pretty, is all."

Bo sighed, rolling her shoulders. "Fine. Not like I haven't done this before. But you're going to owe me drinks later."

At which point Tamsin actually _giggled._ "All this talk about _later._ You really are the hopeful kind," she said, gripping the door knob and turning.

*

The owner of the bar was beautiful, though Tamsin wasn't kidding at all about her dislike -- there was so much bad blood in the air that Bo almost choked on it.

"What brings you here this time, Tanya?" she asked upon their entry, voice cold. When Bo looked at her, she was beholding her with a chilling smile. "And what of this? Is this for _me_?"

"Hardly," said Tamsin, smiling sweetly back. "I'm done with that. Remember?"

Just like that, the smile was completely off her face. "Something else you're forgetting -- you're in my turf right now."

"And we don't need to stay long, really. Just that my friend over here is looking for her _boyfriend._ Tall, lean, a bit on the scratchy side? Had a run in with a few of your boys last week--"

"That guy was her _boyfriend_?"

Tamsin turned to Bo, smiling. "I told you this was the right place."

"Hardly," said the Morrigan, but clearly her interest was piqued. She stood from her chair and walked toward Bo, regarding her with a curious look. "What did you say your name was?"

"Beth," said Bo, shifting her eyes just in time to catch Tamsin's wink.

" _Beth_ ," she repeated, slow like she were tasting the word. "A nice girl's name. Are you nice?"

"I'm not here to play games. Where is he?"

The Morrigan giggled. "Quite a firecracker you got here, Tanya. Where in the world do you pick up such nice girls?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Tamsin replied.

Shrugging, the other woman circled Bo, lazily eyeing her from head to toe. "Such a pretty girl like you, wasted on that man." Bo flinched as she tried to touch her hair before lightly scratching her shoulder with the tip of her nail. "Why don't you just let him be? I bet he's happy where he is right now."

" _Where_ is he?" Bo repeated, trying to stay calm. Off the side, Tamsin kept signaling at her to keep her fists away.

"What's in it for me?" asked the Morrigan, pushing her face closer to Bo's. She's so near that Bo could feel the warmth off her and smell her skin. _Sandalwood. Who is this woman?_ "What can you offer me in return?"

"Whatever you want," Tamsin said from behind her.

"This one," came the instant reply, a finger lightly pressed against Bo's chest.

"But that one's taken."

The Morrigan scowled, pulling her finger back. "No deal."

"How about I send you one of those Norwegian ones -- you've always loved those."

 _Tamsin is actually negotiating with girls as currency,_ Bo thought, flabbergasted. _What  the fuck are we doing here?_

The Morrigan looked at her nails -- perfectly manicured and painted blood red. "Two."

Tamsin sighed, shooting Bo a look that said, _Look at how much this is going to cost me._ "You have to give me a couple of days."

"And a kiss," she added. "And we're even."

Tamsin laughed at that, turning to Bo. "Well?"

Bo rolled her eyes. "Fine," she breathed in, bracing herself. "Not like I haven't done this before."

*

They left the office with an address -- and Bo, with shaky knees. That was _some_ kiss--she had to _stumble_ out of the club with an arm around Tamsin's shoulder for support. It felt like she'd had too much to drink, and her head throbbed.

"What the _fuck_ was that all about?" she finally managed, as she was settling back into Tamsin's car. Tamsin looked at her with a raised brow.

"Well, in case you've taken this long to get onto the same page as I -- we just got ourselves an _address_ ," said Tamsin, holding up the slip of paper between two fingers.

Even as she was already seated in the passenger's seat, Bo was still gasping for breath. "I get that," she said, heaving. "But I also get that you're not telling me a _lot_ of things."

There was a shift in Tamsin's mood that Bo was quick to pick up on. Sighing, Tamsin sat back into her seat, hands relaxed on the wheel. "All right. Shoot. What do you want to know?"

Bo licked her lips; they still tasted of the Morrigan's cherry gloss. "For starters -- was Tanya your stripper name or what?"

Tamsin looked at her wide-eyed. She was quiet for so long that Bo actually worried she'd offended her somewhat -- but then, that was only until the moment Tamsin started to laugh.

"You're suggesting I was a stripper?"

"Well, I wasn't -- I didn't mean to offend, but --"

"I mean, sure, I got the moves, but--fuck _no,_ " Tamsin shook her head in a way that was ultimately condescending. "I was a trafficker -- well, not really, what I did was smuggle witnesses into her tavern, a bit like witness protection, but kind of unconventional--"

"You _what_?"

"Not like we have plenty of choices for some girls, you know."

"You're telling me this establishment is _ours_?" Bo gasped, exasperated. "Just how _safe_ are those girls in that place?"

"Safer than outside of it, I can assure you," Tamsin said, reaching for her keys and turning the ignition on. "The Morrigan's one of us -- or at least, she was."

"Was?"

"Long story short, she's out of office. Pretty much just like you right now, actually."

That quieted Bo for a moment. "What did she do?"

Tamsin shrugged, letting the noise of the newly woken engine fill the car. "Accidentally torched a safe house full of witnesses," she said, sighing. "Things are not always as they seem."

"Shit," Bo just said, rubbing her temple. "This day is so fucked."

"I know," said Tamsin, rolling out of the alley. "She still kisses good, though?"

"Yeah," Bo replied, only half-attentive. And then: "What did you just say?"

"She still got this thing where she feels like she's _draining_ you eh?"

"Kind of," said Bo. "She was--wait a minute, there's something I'm missing here, were you and her--"

"As I've said -- long way back. Or have you not heard a single thing I said?" Bo just sat there, stunned and speechless. "No offense, but you were probably a horrible cop."

Bo wanted to say something, but found that she couldn't. For the first time that night, she found herself conceding a point.

"I thought so," Tamsin just said, driving on.

*

The address led them to a surprisingly well-lit bungalow along a wide suburban road -- trimmed bushes and picket fences galore.

"Are you sure we read the address right?" asked Bo, looking at the house confused. "That doesn't seem like a hideout of any sort."

Tamsin looked at the paper again. "I'm pretty sure that's what the Morrigan's paper said."

"Well then," Bo shrugged, tugging at her seatbelt. "The night is full of unexpected things."

"Look who's finally paying attention."

Bo followed Tamsin out of the car and onto the lawn, treading carefully like they were expecting landmines. Upon reaching the doorstep, Tamsin drew out her gun, prompting Bo to do the same.

"Am I making you nervous?" Tamsin asked, smiling at Bo slyly as she pressed her ear against the door. After a moment, she furrowed her brow. "It's too quiet."

"What do you mean, it's too quiet--" Bo had yet to finish when Tamsin went ahead and kicked the door down, and all Bo could manage at that point was a soft, "Whoa."

"Tough shoes, eh?" Tamsin just said, stepping into the house carefully.

It was a quiet place with all the furniture in place. The lights were all on, though they were the only things -- the rest of the appliances were untouched, and Bo spied a flat screen TV sitting quietly in the far end of the room.

"This is strange," said Bo, trying to walk closely with Tamsin. If there was something lurking, they better have each other's backs. "Weren't we expecting people?"

"I'm not liking this either." Tamsin reached for Bo with her non-gun hand, holding her wrist loosely. "Keep close."

Bo breathed in. There it was again, that patently Tamsin smell: Like cigarettes covered up by some minty thing mixed with a hint of vanilla. It was driving her to a sort of overdrive that she didn't exactly expect. Plus, truth be told, the whole thing with the Morrigan kinda got to her.

_Kinda._

"You alright there chica?" asked Tamsin, snapping Bo out of her thoughts.

Bo swallowed and nodded. "Yeah." She tightened her grip around her gun and let herself be led by the wrist.

The voices came from the backyard, and it was Tamsin who heard them first. Her quickest thought was to pull Bo into the nearest closet, and the one that was easiest to get to was the one under the staircase.

"You said we were alone," said Bo, and Tamsin was quick to put her palm above Bo's mouth, shushing her.

"Newsflash, genius -- not anymore," Tamsin whispered. Outside, the voices have begun growing louder. Tamsin closed her eyes as one of them shouted, pointing out the kicked-down door. "Shit."

"I told you, we could have _picked_ the lock," said Bo, lips against Tamsin's palm. In the dark, she could see Tamsin roll her eyes before removing her hand from Bo's mouth. Above them, the steps began growing frantic, supposedly from running up and down the stairs. "What now?"

"I don't know," said Tamsin. "Alone inside a small dark closet with me and a couple of guns--you ought to have a handful of good ideas."

 The space inside the closet was not meant for a person, and the mere fact that they were able to close the door was a feat in itself. Now, she was shoved up against a wall, stooped under a decidedly all-too-low ceiling with Tamsin snug against her. Sure there were _ideas,_ but the quality was at best dubious.

All Bo could manage was a weak, "Stop trying to get into my pants, Tamsin."

Tamsin snickered. "Come on. You can't be not curious?" Then, off Bo's deep intake of breath, "You're so _easy._ "

"Not funny," Bo just said. Outside, the yelling has resumed -- it sounded a lot like drunk frat boys ordering each other to save the kegs or whatever. "The Morrigan shoved us right into a _frat_ party? What the _fuck_ had Dyson gotten himself into, exactly?"

"Well, we're about to find out." Tamsin hooked a finger into one of Bo's belt loops and pulled her in, murmuring, "Just go with it," against Bo's open mouth.

And so that's how this kiss happened finally: Fumbling inside a small dark closet, Bo struggling to stash her gun behind her so she could use her hands, and then that feeling of _falling._

A quite literal one, actually; amid the effort, Tamsin had actually reached for the door, opened it and out they came, stumbling into the light, kissing in the middle of a brightly lit hallway inside this suburban house, surrounded by a handful of college boys all too drunk with alcohol and _this_ surprise.

When Tamsin broke the kiss, she was grinning. "Sorry boys," she just said. "We seem to have the wrong house. Carry on." The room was still quiet when she led Bo out, hand in hand, the crowd parting wordlessly.

In the corner of her eye, Bo could swear she saw Dyson in the middle of the living room, on his knees with his head bowed and a blindfold around his eyes.

It took all of her restraint not to look back.

*

Back in the car, Tamsin sat back idly, fiddling with her keys. Bo was still looking out the window and watching the shadows move about through the large window that faced the road. "What was that?" asked Bo, totally bewildered.

"What part of it are you asking about, exactly?"

Bo sighed, turning to look at her. "The easiest part."

"A fraternity initiation," Tamsin said, matter-of-factly. "Though I'm actually surprised we found him here."

"You _knew_ this was a fraternity house."

"I wasn't sure up until I heard someone bellow about beer kegs." She sighed. "Besides, it was this or _that case_. I just had to be sure he was checking this case out and not _yours_."

"This was another case?"

"Hazing death a couple of days ago. I guess he's taking time off as well from that case that nearly killed the both of you."

Bo blinked, as if that would clarify things faster. "And the Morrigan?"

"Grand Mistress of a sorority-fraternity coalition. Her boys are always in trouble, but the sorority's a good witness protection hideout." _Grand Mistress._ Bo braced herself for the full shiver at the term. "I used to be a chancellor or something. We used to _work_ together."

"No wonder you have dubious definition for _working together_ ," said Bo, restraining herself from licking her lower lip and the ghost of Tamsin's kiss.

"I didn't think you'd mind," Tamsin said, shrugging. "You didn't _feel_ like you minded, either."

Bo felt a warmth crawl up her neck. "You could have asked," she said, hoping the dark would mask her blush.

Tamsin leaned in to start the car, grinning at the dashboard. "I prefer taking the things I want."

*

The drive back to Bo's house was quiet, and it filled Bo with a kind of dread she thought she had already outgrown: this awkward feeling reserved for first dates, of all ridiculous things.

It took a couple of moments before Bo could say something after Tamsin stopped in front of Bo's door.

"So," said Bo, exhaling. "I'd invite you in, if that's your thing. Offer you a drink. Obviously, I don't know how to do these things anymore."

Tamsin's awkward smile was new to Bo. "That long since you've been here with someone?"

"That long since that someone was a girl," Bo said, suddenly confident. Inside Tamsin's car, it felt like the tables have been turned.

Tamsin looked at her, smile shifting into a smirk. "I read you right," she said.

"You're good at that," said Bo, touching Tamsin's arm, still resting upon the gear shift. "You're clearly one of the good ones."

"Well." Tamsin dropped her eyes to where Bo was touching her before looking away and out of her window. "Getting late. Don't you have a vacation to plan?"

"And don't you have drinks you owe?"

Tamsin laughed. "Are you actually asking me in?"

"No," said Bo. "I'm asking you out."

Shaking her head, Tamsin re-started her car. "I've seen a lot of girls -- and then, there are always girls like you."

"Like me?" Bo grinned.

"Girls like you, I don't see coming," Tamsin just said, driving on.#


End file.
